I love a sweet treat, and these caramel flavoured cupcakes are the perfect Saturday afternoon treat with a coffee. The sponge is soft and light and has a lovely subtle caramel flavour, while the frosting is deliciously sweet and addictive. These are great to make to share with friends, and they last for about 5 days when kept in an airtight container (if they las that long!).
You can decorate them with your favourite sprinkles, or just leave them simply caramel. I promise, these will not disappoint!
Ingredients – makes 12-16 cupcakes
For the sponge:
80g unsalted butter, softened
280g caster sugar
240g gluten free plain flour
2 tsp Xanthan gun
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
240mls milk (I used skimmed but use whichever milk you prefer)
½ tsp vanilla essence
2 large eggs
150g tinned caramel
For the frosting:
500g icing sugar
160g unsalted butter, softened
50mls milk
100g tinned caramel
Method:
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and place muffin cases into a muffin tin.
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. I use a hand whisk, but you can use an electric whisk on a low speed. The mixture should become crumb like in consistency.
Place the milk, and vanilla essence in a jug with the eggs and whisk by hand until they combine.
Pour ¾ of the liquid into the dry mixture and whisk together until the mixture becomes smooth and thick. Add the remaining milk mixture and the tinned caramel and keep mixing until all the ingredients are incorporated into a smooth batter.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases, filling each case by two thirds. Any leftover mixture can be used for a second batch. Place in the oven for18-20 minutes. Let the muffins cool down completely on a cooling rack before adding the frosting.
Using your whisk, beat together the icing sugar and butter until they form a powdery mixture. Slowly mix in the milk and whisk until light and fluffy. Add the caramel and beat well.
Spoon the frosting onto each (cooled) cupcake and use a knife to swirl the frosting. Decorate with whatever sprinkles you choose or, like I do, leave them just as they are. Finally, enjoy!